Law school 1L JD enrollment holds steady for 7th straight year as non-JD enrollment climbs to all-time highs
The 2020 law school enrollment figures have been released. They show a slightly worse first-year JD enrollment and continued growth in non-JD enrollment. Almost 16% of law school enrollees, nearly 1 in 6, are not enrolled in a JD program.
While this is the second straight year of a slight decline in 1L enrollment, it remains mostly flat. (The 2010 peak was 52,488 1Ls.) In 2018, 1L enrollment was 38,283; it fell to 38,202 this year. It’s the seventh straight year of enrollment between 37,000 and 38,500, remarkable consistency.
Total JD enrollment also increased slightly to 114,520, the highest figure since 119,775 in 2014-2015 (but still well off the peak of 2010-2011 with 147,525).
Non-JD enrollment continues to climb. I’m mildly surprised, as I thought pandemic-related travel restrictions coupled with some Department of Education regulations might have dampened the market for at least some foreign-educated non-JD enrollment, but apparently the non-JD market remains strong.
The ABA changed its definitions a few years ago, which resulted in a spike in reported non-JD enrollment, but the steady climb continues. (It’s also worth noting that those enrolled in both JD and non-JD programs simultaneously, at least in recent years, are counted in each set, so this slightly overstates, to an unknown degree, non-JD enrollment.)
21,292 were enrolled in non-JD programs, a 1,400-student jump over last year. It’s now about 16% of all law school enrollment.
The ABA didn’t track non-JD online enrollment separately this year, and understandably so, I suppose, given that most is online. More information about the kinds of degrees and the outcomes of those who secure these degrees would be welcome information, the kind of information that remains unavailable at this time. (I recently looked at debt and earnings of graduates of such programs from data disclosed by the Department of Education.)
Here I also highlight a handful of schools with the highest non-JD enrollment as a percentage of total law school enrollment. There are a few heavy-hitters that are driving a lot of the non-JD enrollment.